PC candidate says voters view patronage as a 'pox on all your houses'

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The contentious appointment of former energy minister Margaret-Ann Blaney as the new president of Efficiency New Brunswick is hanging over the Rothesay byelection.

The byelection is still two weeks away but the Progressive Conservatives are distancing themselves from Blaney’s new job, while the Liberals and NDP are trying to score political points off of the controversial appointment.

The Progressive Conservatives have held the Rothesay riding, and its predecessor, since 1999.

But anger over Blaney’s appointment is injecting new optimism into the campaigns for the Liberals and NDP.

Liberals were erecting campaign signs in Rothesay on Monday afternoon with enthusiasm.

'It's been the defining issue of the election, the question of patronage.'— NDP Leader Dominic Cardy

"The premier making that decision to give this patronage position to a person who wants to retire and go home, I mean the people of Rothesay, it is time to tell all politicians that this has gone beyond level," he said.

The NDP are also using Rothesay as a potential springboard into the legislature for party leader Dominic Cardy.

The NDP has not held a seat in the legislature since 2005, so the party is putting in a serious push to get Cardy elected.